Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole
, Inc, a company acquired by Google in 2004. It maps the Earth by
the
superimposition of images obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography and GIS 3D globe. It w
as available under three different licenses, 2 currently: Google Earth, a free version with limited function; Google Earth Plus (discontinued),[1][2] which included additional features; and Google Earth Pro ($399 per year), which is intended for commercial use.[3]
The product, re-released as Google Earth in 2005, is currently available for use on personal computers runningWindows 2000 and above, Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above,Linux kernel: 2.6 or later (released on June 12, 2006), andFreeBSD. Google Earth is also available as a browserplugin which was released on May 28, 2008.[4] It was also made available for mobile viewers on the iPhone OSon October 28, 2008, as a free download from the App Store, and is available to Android users as a free app on the Android Market. In addition to releasing an updated Keyhole based client, Google also added the imagery from the Earth database to their web-based mapping software, Google Maps. The release of Google Earth in June 2005 to the public caused a more than tenfold increase in media coverage on virtual globes between 2004 and 2005,[5] driving public interest in geospatialtechnologies and applications.
